Amanda's Musings

With Thanksgiving nearly here, I know many of you are looking forward to your holiday season, the celebrations and all of the joys that come with them. I also know that for many, the struggles with the food, alcohol and stress aspects of holidays can interfere with their health.

As I’ve been working with clients in the last week, one thought that was new to some was to Make a Plan for a holiday. This is something I frequently suggest because when we don’t plan, we do what we always do. That’s just the way our brains are wired. Old habits are pretty much automatic. Most people show up for a food-centered celebration like Thanksgiving and kick into behaviors that they’ve been cultivating since childhood. They are looking forward to all of the special, traditional offerings that they encounter each year. They overeat unhealthy foods without thinking too much about it. Everything tastes so good and that’s just what they always do. Just as with any other habit, you don’t stand a chance if you don’t make a plan to do something different.

So what kind of plan are we looking for?We want to make good choices, especially if we’ve worked hard to get to a healthier place already.We’d like to be able to enjoy the “unhealthy” foods when it is worth it to us.We want to have the satisfaction of feeling that we are taking care of ourselves.It’s definitely a balance!

Start with the positive! Consider the menu and decide how you can fill up on the healthy foods that you enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with a nice serving of turkey with some delicious vegetables. Yummy!

Write it down:I love to enjoy "____" on Thanksgiving Day!

Next look at what are likely to be your struggles on the day. Where do you feel things have typically gone awry for you?

Write it down:On Thanksgiving Day, my challenges will be……

Think about what behavior you’d like to see instead. I recommend moderation here and not deprivation. Allow yourself to enjoy some of the aspects of the meal that are special to you, but practice moderation. Perhaps plan to have a small slice of pie rather than having a huge wedge. Or maybe you can have one glass of wine instead of three.

Write it down:My goal is to…..

If there are foods that don’t serve you well and they are not important to you then why not just eliminate them? If you aren’t that excited by a huge helping of bread stuffing then just don’t have any.

Write it down:I can eliminate these foods that don’t matter to me…..

Finally, be kind to yourself! If your plan doesn’t work out exactly the way you hoped, celebrate your successes and learn from where things didn’t go according to plan. That will help you manage things better the next time. Beating yourself up just leads to shame and sends you right back to your unsupportive habits.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let us know how you get on with your plan.